You'll Always Have Us
by ChoCedric
Summary: How did Ron and Hermione feel as they watched the third task of the Triwizard Tournament? Experience it through their eyes: the worry, the anxiety, the fear for their best friend. They vow that they'll always be there for him.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

You'll Always Have Us

By: ChoCedric

As Ron Weasley sat in the Quidditch stands next to Hermione Granger, he felt dread grip him. He had a funny feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong, and something awful was going to happen to his best mate tonight. Harry was competing in the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament, and Ron was very anxious to see the results.

As he and Hermione sat and waited for the event to begin, he reflected on the year. He had to admit that this year had been his worst at Hogwarts, and part of the reason for that was that he thought he hadn't been a good enough friend to Harry. He had thought the other boy was lying when he said he hadn't put his own name in the Goblet of Fire. He had been extremely jealous and refused to talk to Harry for about a month. It had been Hermione, as well as some of his own pondering, that made him come to his senses and realize that he had been a fool to believe that the shy, noble Gryffindor had cheated.

As the year had passed, fear had seized a hold of Ron. After he realized that someone else had put Harry's name in the Goblet, he worried that his friend was going to get hurt. Harry was way too young to participate in the tournament. What if this person had a plot to get Harry killed?

The fear had intensified after the discussion with Sirius in the cave. Barty Crouch Senior's disappearance, plus the missing status of Bertha Jorkins, had him stressing even further that a murderous plot was afoot. Sometime before this tournament was over, he knew that something dreadful was going to take place.

He was sitting next to Hermione, with Bill, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley sitting in their row as well. Ron gazed around at all the other students. A few rows in front of him were a bunch of Ravenclaws, Harry's crush, Cho Chang, among them. She was Cedric Diggory's girlfriend, however, and Ron knew that this was rather a sore spot for Harry. Harry didn't much like Cedric; he had once remarked to him that he thought he was nothing but a pretty boy who didn't have enough brains to fill an eggcup. Ron had to snicker at the remark, and Hermione had given him a disapproving look.

Ludo Bagman's voice suddenly boomed out over the crowd, signalling the beginning of the night's entertainment. He told everyone how many points each champion had. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, fear and concern etched into their faces.

"On my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" Bagman shouted, and with a final wave at the crowd, both boys disappeared into the maze. Ron couldn't help feeling that that was the last time he would ever see his best mate alive.

Time passed very slowly. Ron and Hermione didn't have a clue what was going on, for they couldn't see inside the maze. Ron tried to look through a pair of omnioculars, but still there was not a sight to be seen. How was Harry making out in the maze?

After a long time of waiting, there was suddenly an array of red sparks that flew into the sky. Hermione gripped Ron's arm tightly, terror coating her face. Was that Harry who needed help? Was he hurt?

But no, it was Fleur Delacour, they realized a few minutes later as she was carried out of the maze and placed in the stands with her classmates. Ron couldn't help but feel relief that it wasn't Harry and he was still hanging in there, but another part of him was crying out for someone to rescue his friend from the maze before anything bad happened. Just let this end, he thought miserably, staring at the hedges and not being able to look away.

Next to be carried out of the maze, due to another set of red sparks, was Viktor Krum. How does it feel, Ron thought smugly, to be out of the tournament? Ever since the Yule Ball, he'd hated Viktor Krum. He couldn't explain it, but seeing Hermione with him made him so angry.

As if Hermione knew what Ron was thinking, she gave him a pointed look. "That's a shame," she murmured as she looked over at the shaken Krum.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," Ron sighed. "Did you really want him to win? It should be Harry we want to get the cup!"

"Of course I want Harry to win! And watch your language, Ronald!" Hermione reprimanded sternly. Ron just scowled at her.

Suddenly, Harry and Cedric were standing at the center of the maze, battling a huge acromantula. Hermione gripped Ron's arm so hard that he was in immense pain as the two contestants, plus the spider, fought for dominance. Ron was terrified of spiders as well, so this did not help matters. He remembered all too well the encounter with Aragog and his children two years ago.

Finally, with a joint effort from Harry and Cedric, the spider went down. A loud cheer and rumbles of applause surged from the crowd. Ron was immensely proud of his friend, and he now felt nothing but relief as he realized there were no more obstacles; all Harry had to do now was grab the cup and this nightmare would all be over.

But Harry and Cedric seemed to be in a deep discussion, and Ron and Hermione could tell that Harry's leg was severely injured, maybe even broken. He and Cedric were arguing about something, and Hermione whispered, "Harry's too noble for his own good. I bet he's telling Cedric to grab the cup."

"Bloody prat," grumbled Ron. "He doesn't even like Diggory."

"Harry's got a good heart, that's all I can say," said Hermione, beaming at her friend. "Thank God that this is almost over."

Then, they saw Cedric help Harry towards the gleaming cup. Everyone held their breath as both boys seized a handle of the cup. They were taking it together! Ron and Hermione grinned at each other, knowing that the two champions had finally come to a compromise. They were happy for Harry, and they didn't even care if Cedric shared the victory. At least this ordeal was going to be over and done with now.

The crowd got to their feet, ready to stamp and cheer for their friends, their classmates, their idols, but all of a sudden, Cedric, Harry, and the cup disappeared.

"Blimey!" shouted Ron as pandemonium erupted in the stands. "What the bleedin' hell's going on? Where've they gone?" He turned to look at Hermione, and saw, with a tremor of horror, that she had gone white. "Hermione?" he asked. "What ..."

"I knew it," Hermione whispered. "I knew something like this was going to happen. The cup was a Portkey, Ron."

Ron sank back down into his seat, all the breath escaping from his lungs. His best mate and the Diggory pretty boy had gone off somewhere. Fat lot of protection Diggory would be for his best mate, he thought disgustedly. All he cares about is his good looks. He felt true fear grip at him as the events of the year replayed over and over in his head.

Albus Dumbledore tried to get everyone to calm down, but his voice, which usually was so soothing, didn't help Ron's frantic heartbeat. His best friend might be battling You-Know-Who right now, and he wasn't there for him. Usually, he and Hermione helped Harry through his encounters with dark wizards, but this time they weren't there to lend a hand. This time, Harry was going it alone.

Hermione burst into tears, the salty droplets streaming down her face. Ron put an awkward arm around her, his own fear choking him. Oh Merlin, please no, he thought frantically. He looked over to his mother and saw that she was looking numb, shocked. A few rows ahead of him, Cho Chang was crying. Cedric was her boyfriend and Ron knew that she would be incredibly fearful for him, too. But all he cared about at this moment was Harry; he prayed to every deity he could think of that his best mate would get back safely.

"It's okay, 'Mione. Harry's strong, he'll be okay," Ron tried to console the weeping girl next to him, trying desperately to offer her some comfort through his own terror.

"I'm just so ... so ... so s-scared," Hermione whimpered. "We should be t-there for him, fighting at his side."

"I know," Ron whispered. "It's scaring me too, but we've just got to keep hoping."

"I know," Hermione mumbled back. "It's just ..."

But before she could finish her sentence, a loud THUMP! was heard, followed by what sounded like a million screams. They were back!

As his best friends took a look at Harry, lying on the grass, they saw to their horror that he was bleeding. He looked totally dazed, like he'd been through a huge nightmare. The look on his face was frightening to behold. He looked so small, so helpless, so vulnerable. He was grasping the Triwizard Cup in one hand and Cedric in the other. And Cedric...'Cedric was lying very, very still. Too still, as a matter of fact. And his eyes were wide open, staring at the night sky, a look of frozen shock upon his handsome visage. Ron looked at Hermione, and Hermione stared back, and they knew in that instant: Cedric was gone.

Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge came running over to the two champions, and soon, screams of "Dead! Dead! Diggory's dead! Dead! Dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!" pierced the night air. Ron felt unimaginable horror as he stared into Diggory's unblinking eyes. Only a few minutes ago he had resented Cedric, even disliked him, but now that seemed extremely irrelevant. And Harry......Harry must be feeling unimaginable guilt right now. Every bad thing he had said about Cedric must be coming back to haunt him. The brains to fill an eggcup remark wasn't at all humorous anymore.

Ron and Hermione jumped out of their seats, trying to run to their distraught friend's side, but Ron's mother stopped them. "Professor Moody's going over," she said shakily. "And I don't think Harry wants to be surrounded right now. He looks awful."

"But I want to go to him!" Ron protested angrily, his arm still around a sobbing and almost hysterical Hermione. "He needs me! I'm his best friend!"

"Ronald, Harry looks as though he has been through a terrible ordeal tonight," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice gaining momentum. "We will go to the hospital wing. I'm sure he will be there in a little while."

From the corner of his eye, Ron and Hermione could see a still shaking Harry being led away by Mad-Eye Moody. He also saw Cedric's parents and Cho Chang leaning over the dead young man, Cho screaming and sobbing, his father shouting with raw grief, his mother stroking her son's face lovingly. It was the most horrific and heartwrenching scene Ron had ever witnessed.

Knowing that he was not going to win this battle but still feeling anger pump through him, and a fierce surge of protectiveness, he let his mother and Bill lead him and Hermione away from the screaming, wailing crowd and to the hospital wing. Once there, they sat in chairs, waiting for Harry to come.

"I d-don't know what to do," Hermione stammered as she tightened her arms around Ron. "C-Cedric's dead, this is t-terrible. And Harry ... Harry ... h-how are we supposed to help him?"

Ron was totally out of his element as he stared into Hermione's eyes. He knew it would be no help to tell her he was just as lost as she was.

"Just be there for him, sweetheart," his mother said softly, tears still falling down her face. "The poor dear, I can't believe this happened. And Cedric Diggory ... he was so young." She clung on to both of her sons' hands tightly, and Ron knew what she was thinking: it could easily have been either him or Bill lying on the ground, lifeless eyes staring into the nothingness beyond. Ron tried to communicate to her with his eyes that he was, and would be, all right, even though he felt shattered and had no strength.

But, he vowed to himself as the night continued, I will do my best to take care of and be there for Harry. No more being a bad friend, he swore to himself. He wasn't very good at all this emotional stuff, but he told himself he'd try his absolute best to get Harry through the turmoil ahead.

As Harry lay in the hospital bed, fragile and vulnerable, he took a hold of Hermione's hand and said to her, "I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure Harry gets through this."

"I know you will, Ron," Hermione said quietly. "And I'll do everything in my power to help as well."

"Sleep tight, mate," Ron whispered softly as he watched his best friend's quiet slumber. "You'll always have us."

"Always," Hermione promised, squeezing Ron's hand and staring into Harry's face. "We'll never leave you."


End file.
